Counter gravity heat pipe techniques

Abstract

A pump assisted heat pipe may combine the low mass flow rate required of latent heat pipe transfer loops with a hermetically sealed pump to overcome the typical heat pipe capillary limit. This may result in a device with substantially higher heat transfer capacity over conventional pumped single-phase loops, heat pipes, loop heat pipes, and capillary pumped loops with very modest power requirements to operate. Further, one or more embodiments overcome the gravitation limitations in the conventional heat pipe configuration, e.g., when the heat addition zone is above the heat rejection zone, the capillary forces are required to transfer the liquid from the heat rejection zone to the heat addition zone against gravity.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A counter gravity heat pipe, comprising:
 an insulated internal artery with an opening at or near a bottom of the insulated internal artery and configured to reduce or prevent vaporization as a liquid moves from a condenser pool to an upper chamber; 
 a wick spanning the upper chamber, across a plug, and into a hot zone; and 
 a flow bypass connecting the upper chamber to a space above the hot zone, causing the liquid to move around the plug with a low pressure drop. 
 
     
     
       2. The counter gravity heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the upper chamber is temperature controlled by external sources to create suction to syphon the liquid from the condenser pool to the upper chamber during startup. 
     
     
       3. The counter gravity heat pipe of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a cold zone for thermal energy storage and another cold zone for a power block to be used for an energy application. 
 
     
     
       4. The counter gravity heat pipe of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a cold zone above the hot zone and a cold zone below the hot zone to be used for an energy application. 
 
     
     
       5. The counter gravity heat pipe of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a double ended heat pipe with simultaneous counter gravity and gravity assist features, wherein the gravity assist features move vapor upward from the hot zone and condenses above the hot zone, 
 the hot zone moves the vapor below the cold zone, and condenser pool collects forming a free surface above an entrance of the artery. 
 
     
     
       6. The counter gravity heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the condenser pool comprises a free surface above the opening of the insulated internal artery. 
     
     
       7. The counter gravity heat pipe of  claim 6 , wherein a vapor pressure pushes against the condenser pool, causing the liquid to move at least a portion of the liquid from the condenser pool, through the artery, to the upper chamber. 
     
     
       8. The counter gravity heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the flow bypass comprises one or more annular channels disposed on a periphery of the plug. 
     
     
       9. The counter gravity heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the flow bypass comprises one or more grooves disposed in a wall of the counter gravity heat pipe, the grooves disposed adjacent to the plug. 
     
     
       10. The counter gravity heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the hot zone facilitates vaporization of at least a portion of the liquid. 
     
     
       11. The counter gravity heat pipe of  claim 10 , further comprising a cold zone, wherein at least a portion of the vaporized liquid moves axially down a length of the counter gravity heat pipe to the cold zone, the cold zone facilitating condensation of at least the portion of the vaporized liquid. 
     
     
       12. The counter gravity heat pipe of  claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the condensed liquid falls from the cold zone to the condenser pool.